Review Ichiban Restaurant - Cincinnati

This is one of the best sushi experiences I’ve had. I ordered two rolls and the spicy pad Thai and it was so good. Our waitress was super attentive and friendly and was always on top of things. We would ask for something and she delivered within seconds. Highly recommend and we will definitely be visiting more often!

Outstanding place. Avery the hostess (hope that’s how you spell her name) was super friendly during our wait. I recommend this place for a good sushi dinner. My favorite roll was the shrimp tempera. We had a total of 7 rolls and crab salad with waters for a total of 47

Excellent late night spot. The sushi, service, and atmosphere are miles beyond next door. Staff is great. Jessica is especially sweet and accommodating. July, George, and Quinn are awesome, as is the scurrying guy. We'll keep coming back!

Great sushi and good ambiance. Definitely going again!

Had such a great time here! Lots of options for sushi, noodles, ‘hot apps’ and ‘cold apps’. I always get the ramen! Not too many ramen places around! And I just have to get some veggie egg roles and gyozas as well. We had the harvest pumpkin sushi role and the lion king role, both were amazing!! Great atmosphere and not too overcrowded. Can get busy but we always seem to sit right down. It’s also in a cute area with a few other things to do around. Highly recommend.

Tasty and dog-friendly outside seating! Pictured here is the pad thai and unagi don. Overall the food and drinks were solid, however we did experience pretty long waits for everything. Probably just because we were there at a busy time on a Friday.

It was really good food. Atmosphere was nice and the server was so friendly and helpful. He just started a couple of days ago but did absolutely amazing!

I walked in for takeout. I ordered two orders of Crab Puffs, and they were everything. Highly recommend. I didn't have to wait long for my order. Parking is horrible, though. I had to park at another business

Pros- The food tastes really good and the sauce is is bomb Cons- The vegetable choice was not very satisfying and the chicken isn't very fulfilling also had a low proportion of chicken and veggies. But I will try back again in 2 weeks. I'm all about 2nd chances

This has been a date/night out spot for me for a few years now, and I have never had a complaint. The service is always so nice and prompt, and the sushi is PERFECT. I love the JTB roll, edamame and the crab puff. Everything on the menu is delicious and extremely inexpensive. Being open late is a huge plus as well.

Tasty sushi & great price. The udon noodles were so yummy. My friend loved her shrimp pad thai. Outdoor seating is perfect. The alcoholic cocktails are ok.

Good sushi. Need more help sushi room temp by the time we got it, which it should be. But the volume we were eating it got to warm to take our time and enjoy.

Middling soups, forgettable skewers, and below-average noodles. But none of this matters, because when it comes to quality sushi on a budget, Ichiban is the best game in town. Good sushi requires not just good quality fish, but consistent and well-seasoned rice with the proper amount of salt, sugar, and rice vinegar. Far too many sushi restaurants get the fish right, and serve the fish on sad little rice pillows, cold, bland and dry. Contrast with Ichiban's fish (fresh and flavorful with an unprecedented variety, 3 kinds of roe for crying out loud) served on consistently moist, flavorful sushi rice served at that just-warmer-than-room-temperature state that makes for the perfect chew. And I mean every time - I've been here more times than I can count and the sushi is always high fare. This combined with their extremely fair (dare I say bargain) prices on their half-price sushi menu, and you have a knock-out combination. So yes, skip the entrees, go ham on the sushi. Leave happy and without having to double-check your wallet.

Vibes are great here, the half price sushi can not be beat. The filling to rice ratio in their sushi is impeccable 10/10

I go hear regularly and am a big fan! I am always impressed with my service and food. The place is clean and well managed. There is plenty of room and you don’t feel crowded like other restaurants. The sushi is delicious and reasonably priced. They also have a $5 cocktail menu which is fabulous!

Ichiban is an institution. The food, service are awesome and the staff is always super friendly. Ichiban is the hardest working act in the restaurant business!

First time visit and I loved it. Whenever I am visiting, I live in Bessie, Oklahoma, I am making this place a must to eat at. Well worth the money and great selection of food.

I do not like sushi, so I had a dinner, very good, server was awesome, was there for my grandson's 23rd birthday along with 1 other people, Would go there again.

Wasn't best I've had in city, but for my first visit not bad at all. Very reasonably priced, quick turnaround on my sushi order. I will come back again for more variety and to give it another go

Always leave Ichiban a full and happy customer! Server is always prompt with our drinks and refills. Sushi is fresh. There are closer Sushi places by me, but this is worth the drive

Always pleased when I go to Ichiban. Waiters and waitresses are always happy to answer questions you may have and the sushi is always spot on! There’s a few places closer to home, but when I want great quality sushi I’m willing to make the drive to Ichiban!

Great sushi mouth watering flavor, wonderful meals and great service! I almost forgot half price sushi!!!

First time eating sushi and loved it! The bartender was extremely helpful and super polite and fun! Excellent service, highly recommend and will be back!

This is hands down the best food ,price and service. Don't miss out on the crunchy roll emmmm

Excellent service!! Food was great!! There was no wait and our food came quick. They have a good variety of entrees.

Food and service always good... never disappointed at them. Yum yum

This is one of the few Japanese places in the city that isn't only hibachi and/or sushi and it's delicious! I always end up getting one of their udon dishes.

Always great food. Can't ask for a better place in the Cincinnati area.

Delicious. Great service. Parking was a bit of an issue, but it's totally worth it. We'll definitely be back!

We have loved going here for a long time! They have awesome sushi with great creations especially the specialty rolls of the day. We also love that they have an extensive and delicious menu that includes numerous other Asian cuisine making it accommodating to all those whom we dine with!

This is always our go-to for sushi. Service is always good and the food is always delicious!

Server was knowledgeable and friendly. Restaurant was busy! Nice, but small, wine and cocktail list.

Came in with a party of 10, very polite and great service, especially after Cloud 9 next door was so incredibly rude to us last time. We had 10 different types of sushi and every roll was wonderful. Will be coming back for sure!

The prices the sushi the environment is superb. Keeps me coming back.☆♡

I can't speak to reviews several years old but the service every time has been very good.  I tend to sit at the sushi bar...and eat sushi.  Prices are affordable and the sushi I have had was always tasty.  I'd say a fuss is I do not like Cucumber and getting Avo instead adds  50 cents.   Having lived in a West Coast beach town, I can't expect "ideal" but they do as well as possible.  Seems Ichiban likes to roll the rolls in toasted Sesame.. which I like.   Cloud 9 is just 2 doors away.. very good but small.. so...if you can get a seat ..it seems a tad hectic.  Mt Lookout has become a nice town for good eats.

Had dinner with some girl friends at Ichican the other night.  My husband are big fans of the place a few doors down, but a friend suggested we try out Ichiban.  They had a really swanky set up.  Large & Spacious.  We ordered drinks.  I loved their drinks specials.  The house wines were only $6 a glass!  One of my friends ordered the plum wine, which came with a little plum swimming in it.  So cute.  I ordered the edamame, my friend ordered the ginger salad and another the seaweed salad.  All three were very fresh and delicious.  We ordered three rolls to share: the crunch, shrimp Tempura and the Sunday Morning Roll (I think).   All three were delicious!  Fresh and light with great crunch.

I stopped in the Mt lookout location around five and sat at the bar. The bar tender was very attentive without being pushy. Sushi was super fresh, chilled and nice fat peaces. I also had an order of tempura. Very light and crisp. Wood go back

I love this place. The restaurant dining area is huge which is rare for Mount Lookout. You can see your sushi being made at the front. The have segregated the bar from the restaurant. Thy have half price sushi everyday day of the week ALL the time so $3-$8 a roll is nothing to complain about.

Okay. Didn't knock my socks off, but that's probably unlikely with sushi in a landlocked state. If you want to have an upscale sushi dinner out with friends in Cincinnati, you could do worse.

Volcano Roll. The spicy crab meat makes this dish unique to Ichiban.

My favorite restaurant in Cincinnati - I seriously go through withdrawal if I don't go for a while. Half price menu plus 2 domestics plus a tip and my hubby and I are stuffed and out of there for $25.

Love it. Great sushi, great prices. Everything is always fresh, and delicious. Love the staff, although they seem to change a lot. We eat at the bar and the bartenders are always cool. Highly recommended.

Sat at the bar on a Friday night. Good sushi at a reasonable price and great service. Will definitely be back

LITERALLY my favorite sushi ever and I eat at a lot of sushi joints in many states. Their Volcano roll and Dynamite roll are both the best rolls I have ever eaten. I go there as often as I can and prefer this place over Dancing Wasabi and Cloud 9. They're not bad places either but Ichiban's sushi tops theirs any day.

Good Stuff!. Tasty sushi and miso soup! Not sure about anything else because that's all I get! Best in the area by far!

I usually enjoy this restaurant. Great food and specials. However there's a waitress there who will guarantee I never go back. Her name is Maggie and because of her bad service I did not leave her a tip. She had the nerve to follow me outside to ask why I did not tip her! Too much in shock I walked away and called management. I hope this is not customary. Probably will not return.

Consistently The Best. My wife and I consider ourselves sushi snobs. C'mon, when you are talking raw fish, should we be any other way? Ichiban has consistently served some of the best sushi that my we have ever had. The bartenders are friendly, and conversational. Yes, we always sit at the bar, and aside from extremely busy nights, always have good service. <br/><br/>There are some reviews on here that say the food is expensive and lackluster. That's a bunch of crap. The sushi prices are great, with their 1/2 price sushi menu. They make the best spicy tuna hand rolls in town, and they're only $3! The specialty rolls are fantastic, and all $8 or less. We typically leave stuffed with great food for around $50. Add a bottle of wine or some Sake, and we're outta there around $75 poorer, but very happy.<br/><br/>We've tried 7 other sushi restaurants around Cincinnati. Painted Fish is the only other one we recommend with great atmosphere and tasty, eclectic sushi. We are Eastsiders now, so we don't get to PF much these days. None of the others even come close to the great prices and quality of food that Ichiban offers.

My Favorite Restaurant. I go to Ichiban at least once a week. Half price sushi starting at 5 and ending early into the morning. What I order: Cuban Rolls- blackened seared tuna with avocado. They give you quite a lot of tuna for $4, pretty filling. Sunday Morning Roll- Salmon and cream cheese, tempura fried $6. To die for. And finally, Spicy Tuna because it's only $3.

Does "Ichiban" mean gross food in Japanese?. My bf & I were looking to try a new restaurant in the neighborhood & after seeing the approval rating in the low 90's we decided to give Ichiban a shot. We started off with edamame & the gyoza. It would be really hard to mess up edamame, it was as expected. The gyoza, on the other hand, was kind of bland, but not terrible. I decided to order some sushi ( spider roll & dragonnroll) & my bf ordered the beef teriyaki. The sushi definitely tasted half price, even at half price I still don't feel I got my money's worth. Both rolls tasted the same, bland. It just didn't seem fresh. I feel like I've had better sushi pre packaged from a grocery store. On to the beef...First of all it was served cold & it gets worse, upon further inspection about a quarter of it was fat......Gross!!! At first glance we thought it might have been some kind crustacean ( a piece of lobster or jumbo shrimp ) boy were we wrong. They even went through the trouble of cutting it up & presenting it. The server was nice. She asked if I wanted any of the sushi boxed up & I politely declined. If it didn't taste fresh then, it definitely wouldn't taste fresh & or good as a leftover. I think it's safe to say that we won't be going back to Ichiban ever.

Had dinner there last night. Amazing food and amazing service. Sat at the bar too!! That bartender Robbie is the man! Great service. Had an overall great experience.

Don't try to use a coupon. Bought a living social coupon for $20 with a value of $40. Went for dinner on Saturday and when I gave it to the waitress she told me it is not valid on 1/2 price sushi. We ordered specialty rolls that are not on the 1/2 price menu. $73 later and we will not be returning. The manager was more than unhelpful.

Nice place, decent sushi. I dropped by today to give Ichiban a shot. It's a very cute, modern looking restaurant in the heart of Mt. Lookout. The interior is nice and the padded booths we sat in were quite comfortable.<br/>One thing that kind of annoyed me up front is their perpetual "half-price sushi" special. If it is always half priced, why not just change the permanent prices on the menu? I hate gimmicks and this is quite the gimmick.<br/>The food itself was okay. The fish tasted moderately fresh and they have a few interesting rolls on the menu, but nothing blew me away. The crab meat in the rolls was nasty - chewy and stringy. The rolls were a little on the small side and the nigiri sushi was only 1 piece per order at the same price as other places, but after taking 50% off the prices come out to be pretty reasonable.<br/>As a side note, it was pretty loud in there and this was for early dinner service - I'd hate to imagine how loud it gets late night with the bar crowd. We also experienced the delight of having a hipster family sitting right next to us who let their kid play drums on the table with his chopsticks for the whole meal - half the restaurant was flashing dirty looks to the couple who seemed to actually be encouraging the little brat to keep on. It's a difficult matter of deciding when management should intervene, but I think everyone in the restaurant would've really appreciated management politely asking them to control their child. The fault lies on the rude, inconsiderate customers but if what a customer is doing is causing other people to become irritated and uncomfortable, sometimes intervention is necessary and I felt like it was in this case.<br/>Overall, I annihilated a good variety of different rolls here and while it'll do, it wasn't my favorite sushi in the city by far. I think it's awesome that they stay open late and I wish more restaurants would follow suit, but they wouldn't be my first choice for sushi when other options are available. I'd recommend if it is late on a weekend night and you're looking for sushi but it's not anything worth making a trip for.

Best sushi I have ever eaten! I used to hate sushi but I love it because of this restaurant!

Wine had sludge in it. As I was drinking my glass of red wine, I suddenly noticed a bunch of sediment in the bottom of the glass. When I complained to the manager, I was told that the particular brand of wine was supposed to be that way. i asked them to take it off my bill and was refused. I was also disappointed in the seafood soup, as there was no shrimp in (even though the menu listed it as an ingredient), and the crab was fake crabmeat. We did like the crab puffs and the sushi. We will not be back.

Excellent!. Having recently moved to Cincinnati from Orange County, Ca, my wife and I hold sushi restaurants to high standards. This place lived up our expectations, good fish, friendly staff, prompt service, and great prices. Will definitely be coming back to this great establishment.

Love it!. I love this place! I have been there many times and the service is always outstanding, great drinks, great appetizers and great sushi. <br/><br/>The decor is modern and fresh and the restaurant is very clean, including the bathrooms (usually a pet-peave of mine).<br/><br/>Servers are always very nice and attentive and available. One thing we always have to ask for is straws for our water that they serve when you sit. I would just suggest automatically providing straws. <br/><br/>Other than the straws, I have a great experience here each time I go, no matter what time or day of the week!

Sub par. I was visiting from out of town and was craving sushi. I went here to get sashimi. It was awful. I find ordering sashimi is a test to see if the place is authentic or not. Let me tell you this place failed miserably. The quality of the fish was poor and the chef lacked any knife skills. This place is fine if you want watered, Americanized sushi. I am sure their vast mayonnaise covered rolls will cover the sins of the rolls

Consistently Attrocious Service. This restaurant exemplifies my hatred of the Cincinnati restaurant scene. The "half price sushi everyday" is not terrible, but it's not that good either. The serving are small and if you say, don't want mayonnaise, cream cheese or fake crab, you'll have a very limited selection. The part that bothers me about Ichiban is the consistently terrible service. They can't retain servers and those waiters and waitress that are there seldom check on you and struggle with the most basic requests ("could I please get some ponzu sauce? posu sauce? what's that?").

REALLY good. We stopped by on NYE after the uncertain girl I spoke to on the phone said she could probably get us in but advised that they are saving tables for reservations. We were able to get seated at the sushi bar, though the waiters were mostly focused on the tables with reservations, as they should be and I expected them to be on a night like this. I was just happy they were able to seat us, especially b/c the next option was Dancing Wasabi and they had a line (per usual), plus I've been wanting to try Ichiban. <br/><br/>I often test a sushi place by getting the octopus sashimi. Ichiban did not disappoint. It was VERY fresh and tender (for octopus, which is naturally a bit chewy anyway, but should never be like rubber like I have had at other places). This was a great sign and it only got better from there. We ordered mostly from the half-price sushi menu, though we did get a few other things. I ordered the miso soup, which was excellent and the scallions had more of a punch (flavor) than some places (though the tofu was smaller than I prefer), and the duck breast robotayaki (grilled skewers). The duck was tender, moist, and full of delicious flavor, and it paired well with the peanut sauce (the menu said it comes with asian bbq sauce, but it was more peanut to me). We then ordered some smelt roe (one of my faves) sashimi style, partially to see how they would serve it. They carved a flower out of a cucumber and placed the roe inside the flower. I LOVE cucumbers, so this was a double plus for me. It did make it a little tricky to pick up with the chopsticks, but not too bad (and I have a lot of practice). <br/><br/>We also ordered a few rolls; the spider - which had really good quality soft shell crab, the Baltimore - which was delicious, but I didn't taste the old bay seasoning as much as I would have expected, and the honey bee - which was one of the highlights. I'm not into may, but don't tell them to hold it at sushi joints, and since this was topped with honey mayo, I thought that was a nice twist. It added a great flavor to the already tasty roll, filled with king crab and topped off with shrimp, salmon, and whitefish. I had a hard time picking a favorite, but this was one. Plus, they were all half price, so score!<br/><br/>The dessert was a winner too. My wife ordered the green tea mousse, which was in cake form and not very sweet, which I warned her ahead of time thanks to Becky's post. She really liked the fact that it was not as sweet as most and greatly enjoyed it. I thought it was ok, but I was more into mine - the ice cream. I forget the exact name for it and the dessert menu is not online, but it was a glass layered with agave jelly cubes (a gelatin with a sweet honey-like flavor), cut up fruit (bananas and strawberries), ice cream (I think mango), whipped cream, sweet bean paste (mmmmm) and topped with raw sugar cane syrup (which blended with the other flavors and left this very sweet and VERY addicting liquid at the end). You first had to tackle some of the ice cream, whipped cream, and sweet bean paste before you could get to the other goodies. Then it was just a contest with yourself to see what was the best flavor combinations you could come up with. As I soon found out, nothing was a loser, but everything with the agave jelly was an extra winner. It was like winning a marathon, collecting the medal, then taking off and running the damn thing again just to prove how bad ass you are. I hope this is on the menu all the time and not just that night.<br/><br/>We watched the sushi chefs all night and they seem pretty well skilled. I also noticed a LOT of people ordered fried rolls as we would see the chefs ship them out to the staff to have them take to the back to get fried and then returned to the chefs to be cut. I was a little surprised how many of the rolls ordered were fried that night (almost half) since I'm not into fried rolls, but some people love anything fried, so I'm not judging. If that's your thing, you may want to check this out since they seem to be in demand here. And if they aren't, go here anyway b/c the food is great and the sushi is delicious.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RESTURANT. The service is great, the Sushi is Fantastic. I love everything about this resturant; from the meaning of the name "THE ONE", to the ambiance and atmosphere of the layout. The setting is very elegant. This resturant couldn't be compared to any other. I bring EVERYONE I know here for their first Sushi experience. I drive 30 minutes just to pick up carry out Sushi and entrees that's how good the food is. The manager and waitstaff are very friendly and always treats me w/ importance. The only downfall to Ichiban would be that it isn't open earlier during the day. I could eat sushi all day, every day and I do. I love Ichiban and will remain a regular for as long as they will have me. Oh yeah my favorite is the HONEY BEE, Dynamite, JTB...mmmm it's even good the next day..the Calamari is so delicious. I would give this place a 10x10!!!! But don't take my opinion, find out for yourself

First time here and we love it, not just great sushi but awesome noodles, classy enviroment that makes the place even better.

AMAZING AND DELICIOUS!. Having just moved back to cincinnati after 4 years in nyc, i have to say that ichiban is the real deal. it's in my new nabe and i've already been there 4 or 5 times! the service is great, the food is AMAZING, and they have awesome drinks. i love all the sushi rolls (especially the honey bee OMG) that i've tried. the entrees are also delicious, especially asiago chicken (good cause my mom doesn't eat sushi)! Also I love love love the Kani-su. It's just king crab meat - Sooo good. And I know I will be living on their noodle soups all winter.

Awesome food, Great service. My girlfriend and I go to Ichiban at least twice a week and we have a great time each and every visit. The sushi is the best in Cincinnati and the atmosphere is so unique. The JTB and Philly rolls are definitely our favorites, but it's really hard to pass up the Bechamel Shrimp Gratin entree when you smell the cheesey goodness from the kitchen. Also we like to just chill at the bar and have some Kirins and robata-yaki if we're feeling drinks. Robbie is a great bartender! The wait staff is always super friendly too. I really feel like Ichiban is a one-of-a-kind place and if you ever have an opportunity, GO! It's definitely worth it.

Best sushi in cincinnati. I went to Ichiban for the first time a couple of months ago, and I'm already practically a regular. I've never had any trouble with the service - my understanding is that new management took over about a year ago, and they've hired an almost entirely new waitstaff in the last few months. The ambiance is very chic and romantic in contrast to nearby Dancing Wasabi, which can seem like a rowdy frat house. The number one reason to go to Ichiban, however, is the sushi. I don't know their secret, but it's the best sushi I've had in Cincinnati by a long shot. The wait on half-price nights can be long; you can avoid it by going early on wed and thurs, when half price starts at 5, or late-night fri and sat when they're open until 2am. They tend to be packed around dinnertime Wed and Thurs especially. <br/><br/>Ichiban also has a lovely bar with a tv - I've stopped in to catch a reds game now and again with my boyfriend. They have a generous happy hour every night from 5-7, with discounted beer, wine, martinis, and appetizers. The bartenders are all really sweet - Robbie is really energetic and chatty, and Anna is warm and fun to talk to. <br/><br/>In short, Ichiban is a great romantic date spot with a fun bar and sushi designed for the true sushi fanatic. Half-price time is busy, but worth it. The service may at times be slow, but it's always friendly, and the owner is often on site checking in with customers. You get the sense that they really take pride in their restaurant and in creating a rapport with their customers. <br/><br/>Try the volcano roll! : )

Third time's a charm- will definitely be back!. The first time I dined at Ichiban was last September, when it first opened its doors on Delta. I remember the food was amazing, quite possibly the freshest fish I had ever tasted (and I have to admit, I am quite the sushi snob). I tried several pieces of sushi and sashimi and rolls, all of which were so delicious, I could not believe I liked everything I ordered! The service, however, was disappointing. The server was somewhat unprofessional- she gave me the impression that it was her first day serving ever. I had to give her the order 3 times because she did not know the difference between sushi and sashimi. I mean, if you work at a sushi restaurant, shouldn't you at least know more than the guest? But given that it was only their 2nd week in business, I forgave them for their service flops because afterall, like all new restaurants, there will be kinks to smooth out the first few weeks of operation.<br/><br/>The second time I went to Ichiban was a Wednesday in January, after they had been open for a few months. The food was still amazing, the service was much better (the server explain in great details the difference between albacore and escolar, the two different kinds of white tuna they have, and taught me that the proper way to eat sushi was actually with your hands, and with the sushi upside down, so the fish, not the rice, touches your tongue. It was very interesting.). However, the problem then was the amount of time it took for the sushi to come out. My friend and I went on a 1/2 price night, so it was super busy. And since everyone was there for sushi, we wait over 40 minutes for our sushi to come out. Like I said, the food was amazing, but was it worth the 40-minute wait? That is up to you to decide.<br/><br/>The very last time I went to Ichiban was this past Wednesday, for their 1/2 price sushi once again. And this time around, EVERYTHING was perfect. The rolls and sushi and sashimi were soooo fresh I just couldnt resist but order seconds of everything. I loved the honeybee and the caterpillar rolls, and the yellowtail sashimi, so light, so refreshing, probably the best yellowtail I have ever had. The clam vegetable soup and the asparagus beef roll were out of this world. The service was as good as the second time I went. And the best change ever? They have a third sushi chef behind the sushi bar, so sushi took only 15 minutes. I am really glad their management saw what the problem was and decided to fix it. Now, I'll be at Ichiban at least once a week- their food is delicious, the servers are friendly, and now that sushi no longer takes forever, what's not to love about this place? I am really glad I gave it a third chance. Now for those of you that stopped going because sushi took forever or because the service was sloppy, I would definitely suggest giving it another chance- I'm certainly happy that I did.

More Than Great Sushi. I don't usually write reviews, but I love everything about Ichiban. My boyfriend and I went there last Saturday; the minute we walked in, we were greeted warmly. We sat in a big over-stuffed booth that was so comfortable I could have slept there. We started our meal with an appetizer- beef carpaccio that came with a white sauce to die for, and was so tender it melted in my mouth. It was without a doubt, the best appetizer I have had in a long time. Our server, Jordan, was as nice as could be. She suggested the Baltimore roll, it was delicious- the perfect combination of sweet and salty! We also tried the Honey Bee roll, which was drizzled in this delightful honey mayo, and the JTB roll, which had perfect tempura breading and spicy mayo with just the right kick. For fun, we tried some nigiri (single pieces of raw fish served over a tiny bed of rice), yellow tail, striped bass, and mackerel- I could not believe I was eating fish so fresh in Ohio! To wrap it up, Ichiban has more than great sushi, it has impeccable service, very fresh fish, fantastic appetizers, and a great atmosphere. I will definitely be back!

Worst over priced food ever.. We tried Ichiban tonight for the first time. We have a City Beat discount card and noticed they were on the list. We called to ask if it would be crowed on a Friday. We wanted to make sure we would not be needing a reservation.<br/><br/>The person on the line said "Well we do have half price sushi tonight" (I should have thought something was off about half price sushi on a Friday, but it didn't cross my mind at the time, half price sushi did!)<br/><br/>The person on the phone went on to say if we got there before 9pm that we should be fine beating the crowd, later it would likely be crowed.(HILARIOUS) My Fiancée' told the person on the phone, that we had the City Beat discount card, they said "great" and failed to mention that the discount card would not be valid with the evenings special of half price sushi. So we loaded our card with money before leaving.<br/><br/>I will take some blame for thinking that we would be able to use our card, the card says "Not with other discounts" (Noticed after we were told different at the restaurant) but they could have mentioned it before we arrived, being that we did bring it up during the phone call. Now we had money on our card and had to pay for things separately with cash.<br/><br/>The attention grabber for us going to Ichiban was a roll on the menu" Honey Bee Roll"<br/><br/>King crab and crunch, topped with tuna, salmon, shrimp, and white fish, glazed with honey mayo. $15 of course this evening half off.<br/><br/>It sounded so good we ordered 2 as well as the,<br/><br/>"Volcano Roll"<br/>Eel, avocado, tempura fried, topped with spicy crabmeat <br/>$12 of course again half off (but not with you City Beat Card).<br/><br/>The rolls came and we were so disappoint in the Honey Bee Roll. The Honey sauce flavor really wasn't there. The roll itself didn't appear at all what we had in mind and are more accustomed to at some of our other sushi favorites "Teak", "Sweet Basil" etc. The roll had no flavor, all and all was just bland. It was a HUGE disappointment.<br/><br/>The Volcano Roll was better but unfortunately we had on ordered one.<br/><br/>I also had the: Vegetable Spring Roll $6.00 <br/>They were the worst Spring Rolls I have ever had and we only ate one leaving 3 pieces on the plate and telling our waitress they were not good. She took them away and didn't offer to take them off the check.<br/><br/>My daughter (8) had the Robata-Yaki Chicken Breast, put simply, chicken on a Stick. She hated it, and said it was salty. It was in fact covered with some sort of salt. There was no marinade or anything of the sort on the chicken. She didn't like it at all. I do believe this is the only chicken that she has ever expressed not liking.<br/><br/>My Fiancée' order the: Lobster Lorient<br/>Lobster, mango and nouille in port wine sauce, accent of curry spice. $29.00 <br/><br/>It was in my mind the worst treatment of Lobster I have ever seen. The sauce was not drizzled around the plate or sat on the side for tasting the entire lobster was covered in it, and laying in it almost as if were in a puddle of strange soup. The flavor of the sauce was a curry which is a fine flavor, but it might has well of been a piece of Chicken. The lobster stood now chance to the strong overwhelming flavor it was laying in and covered with. This is the most expensive dish I have ever tried and not liked. <br/><br/>The best thing I had the Miso Soup $3, so glad they didn't find a way to mess that up!<br/><br/>I will not be going back, nor will I ever recommend.

Shady service. I must say, the food was good. The service is POOR. I am in the service industry, I don't consider myself an elitist or even an expert, but I know good food and good service. <br/>I came with a party of about 20 or so people, which is a lot, i realize, however I don't appreciate it when my server is clearly looking annoyed with everyone and to top it off, he specifically announced to us that we "would NOT be getting 18% gratuity" <br/>I was suprised because since I work as a server, I will almost always add gratuity to parties of 6 or more, and I will circle it on the bill and ALSO tell the customer that it was added as another reminder. <br/><br/>I get my bill back, the last to get it, and I saw that sure enough, 18% was added unbeknownst to everyone. Many of my friends added double gratuity. I was going to say something, instead I wrote it on my check what I was going to say to him. <br/><br/>I understand adding gratuity, hell, I will even double grat someone who is a personable and patient person. But the way everything happened was extremely shady. <br/><br/>I will not be going back. thanks scott

Definitely, the best sushi in Cincinnati!. My boyfriend and I have been die-hard fans of Ichiban for years (even when it was a restaurant under a different name). For one, Masa is an awesome sushi chef with a discriminating eye for the freshest fish. The yellowtail cannot be beat--buttery and meaty with no aftertaste. We have been here hundreds of times and have yet to have one bite of bad fish. Trust me, if we had even one piece of bad sushi, we would not be back. Plus, he's super well-trained (a rare find) and has the ability to correlate each slice of fish with just the right amount of vinegared sushi rice. No piece of nigiri is exactly the same, but each piece has perfectly balanced proportions of fish and rice. And of course, the rolls--especially the Dragon and Honeybee and Dynamite--are among our favorites among all Cincinnati restaurants. Sushi aside, the addition of the traditional Japanese dishes is a welcome change. We love the asparagus beef roll as an appetizer and enjoy the ramen as an entree.<br/><br/>Clearly, there are many great things to say about this restaurant, but what makes it unique is the consistent quality of its sushi. It's what keeps us coming back. Sushi is not obviously complicated food, but what defines great sushi from an average bite of fish is the level of attention to detail. To the temperature of the fish, to the amount of rice, to the freshness of the fish. Ichiban certainly pays attention to all these details with exacting precision. <br/><br/>Of course, to be absolutely fair and not have a completely biased review of the restaurant, it's a younger establishment and is still building its reputation. As a result, the atmosphere can be less than optimal when it is a slower night. Yet it has preserved the comfy booths and modernish decor and soft, trendy music, which create a nice enough ambience. Honestly, though, I barely even notice the atmosphere when I'm there. I'm all about the plate of fish I'm about to eat. <br/><br/>It's definitely THE place I recommend to get sushi--hands down. I try to tell as many people as I can about how great this sushi is to ensure that the restaurant will thrive and continue to feed my hungry appetite for sushi.

Amazing food and service!!!. I am compelled to write my first restaurant review after the great experience my husband and I had a Ichiban's this Sunday night. The service was fantastic! The hostess greeted us warmly and the waitress was conversational (not chatty - which I hate) and knowledgeable about the menu (not rehearsed...she clearly had an intimate knowledge of Japanese cuisine). The food was out of this world. The flavors and textures were delicious (especially the mushroom caps). Fresh ingredients cooked to perfection. Furthermore, the atmosphere was wonderful. The cool music in the background (more hipster than elevator), fresh flowers and candles on the table, and vibrant art on the walls set the perfect mood. Obviously, I was very impressed by the whole experience. In fact, it is now my favorite Asian restaurant in Cincinnati...and Cincinnati doesn't lack Asian restaurants!

A Spoon-full of Sugar.... I preface this with the fact that I usually read restaurant reviews and do not write them. Also, I have eaten at Ichiban many times and always enjoyed myself, so I confess to having a biased opinion of the establishment. I only wanted to suggest that readers take other reviews with a grain of salt, especially those of individuals who have a tendency to rant and also to go home and create profiles just to vent their perception of the evening they had without truly having any intention to sample the myriad dining options, local and affordable, that the Cincinnati food scene provides us and then share their fair, unbiased opinions with readers, like you and me, who should expect a dependable reviewer. I've noticed this happening in the reviews for restaurants that I both like and dislike. That does not imply those reviewers lack validity or are incapable of providing useful feedback, but remember two things. The only thing one-sided about these reviews should be the computer screen and the more important thing is to remain kind and compassionate, at whatever level of discourse, because everyone in life is fighting a hard battle, also, readers and reviewers alike.

Great food, will be back!. I went to Ichiban for the first time last Thursday after hearing so many good things about it from my friends, and let's just say, these friends of mine know what they're talking about! I started out with the clam vegetable soup- an option way more interesting than the miso, and it was the best soup I'd had in a long time. The clams were still in their shells and the broth tasted slightly of oysters and had this aroma that reminded me of a stew that my host mom used to make for me during my semester abroad in Provence. My friend decided on the tofu thin noodle salad because it did not sound like anything she'd ever heard of. The salad came out in a round plate layered with silky tofu, sliced seaweed, green tea noodles, and a bit of Chinese spinach. The nori dressing that accompanied the salad was sweet, tangy, and overall, delicious. We went there on a half price sushi night, so of course we had to order the sushi. We each had about 4 rolls and a bunch of nigiri and sashimi. We tried, among others, the honeybee, dynamite, spicy scallop, volcano and Baltimore. The honeybee was definitely my favorite while my friend preferred the volcano. Overall, my dining experience was great. Next time, I'd know to leave some room for dessert, because they had a really intriguing dessert menu too, but we were way too stuffed by that point to order any more.

Too much "fine print", too little "good service". Ended up here for some late night sushi during the "half off special". Didn't go for the special and was pleasantly surprised when we got there. That would change.<br/><br/>Among other things, ordered a spicy tuna roll - add some tempura flakes and hold the green onions. Learned that would not be half off because it's a "special order" not on the menu. OK - maybe adding tempura flakes is asking a bit much (although EVERY other sushi place in town seems to be capable in this area - even during their half price times). Just hold the green onions. OPPS - that's a special order too...full price for you.<br/><br/>They explained, with a straight face, that they have a no changes policy during the half price special because it is so crowded their sushi chefs would fall behind if they had to do all those special changes. As I looked around at the room with 12 people in it and 2 sushi chefs (one of whom was washing knives) I agreed that leaving the green onions out of a roll might be asking a little much.<br/><br/>When the bill finally came, we made the same mistake as a previous reviewer...we tried to use a $10 off card. Card is well marked...requires 50$ in entrees and does not apply to specials. 50$ in entrees - check. Does not apply to specials - check. But wait...what they really meant to say was "does not apply if anyone at the table gets any sushi special". That's where we blew it.<br/><br/>In the end, the sushi and entrees were fine but nothing special. Certainly not special enough to fight through all the fine print. Didn't go for the special but after dealing with all the house rules around it, I'll save my sushi dollars for the places in town that include letting the customer get what they like as part of their definition of "service".

No customer service. My friends and I went to Ichiban as an alternative to our normal sushi place due to some gift cards we had received. After ordering the appetizers we were told that the gift cards cannot be used at all, even on the full priced appetizers, if we wanted to order any sushi at their regular happy hour price. This is a policy not disclosed at the purchase of the gift cards. The waitress nor manager should any empathy or understanding of our confusion at the undisclosed policy and were overall cold. The appetizers were below average. We paid and went back to our regular place for dinner. Now I know why their restaurant remains empty while the competeing Japanese restaurant is always busy.

Inconsistent. I tried this place twice, both times after 1a, Sunday morning.<br/><br/>The first go around, the vegetable clam soup was great. Greens, mushrooms, and fresh clams (with a perfect touch of grit) floated in a flavorful, slightly salty hot broth. The sashimi was fine, the cuts generous and at this hour half priced. I decided to try an entree next visit.<br/><br/>Act Two was a disaster. Weak green tea. Tepid, flavorless vegetable clam soup replete with clam shell fragments sharp enough to cut the fingertips used to extract them from your poor mouth. Same okay sashimi. <br/><br/>The sledge between the eyes was the entree, the yakisoba. Tasting like nothing but the dried, pulverized herbs that coated the mushy noodles, I would liken the experience to eating a soggy tree.

Great place to eat. I love going to eat here. The service is great and the portions are priced right. Their sushi is amazing!!!!

Great Food, Great Atmosphere. This is the converted Aqua restaurant and we went there on a Wednesday night which by chance was 1/2 price sushi night. We probably tried 20 sushi which were nearly all great, and had their half chicken which was fantastic. The atmosphere was very nice and their prices were better than I expected. All in all I highly recommend.

Saturday night I was starving. Well not literally, but figuratively yes. I went to Ichiban and got so excited when I parked and saw their banner. 1/2 Price Sushi! It took a minute to seat me to set a table but I got one of the cute banquettes. On your way

Hit up Ichiban last night for some half price sushi (Friday and Saturday after 9pm, maybe other times too). The atmosphere is very cool. Open sushi bar spanning one full end of the restaurant with sushi chefs hard at work. There are funky booths on one si

The menu here is centered on sushi, but it also presents a good variety of other simple Japanese classics, along with a few East-West fusion entrées.

We actually haven't been to too many sushi places in Cincinnati yet. I'm still learning about it, and Sarah is still recovering from a bad experience years ago (more on that below). But, Ichiban has emerged as a favorite for its mix of tasty food, chill a

There are 2 reasons to high tail it over to Ichiban Japanese Cuisine in Mount Lookout Square. The first one involves